Meaning of common in English

common

adjective

/ˈkɑː.mən/ uk

/ˈkɒm.ən/

common adjective (USUAL)

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the same in a lot of places or for a lot of people:

It's quite common to see couples who dress alike.

"Smith" is a very common name in Britain.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

happening or seen often

commonWorking from home has become increasingly common.
rifeViolence was rife throughout the city.
commonplaceEarthquakes are a commonplace occurrence in California.
be a dime a dozenUS Those cheap little metal cars are a dime a dozen. You can get them anywhere.
be two/ten a pennyUK Good designers are two a penny, but great designers are worth their weight in gold.

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common courtesy/decency

the basic level of politeness that you expect from someone:

His communications were characterized by a lack of common courtesy.

common knowledge

a fact that everyone knows:

[ + that ] It's common knowledge that they live together.

More examplesFewer examples

Oil spills are common, as is the dumping of toxic industrial wastes.
It's common practice in the States to tip the hairdresser.
In the past, bear-baiting was a common form of entertainment in Britain.
This disease is four times more common in boys than in girls.
One common cause of homelessness is separation or divorce.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Plain and ordinary

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common adjective (SHARED)

belonging to or shared by two or more people, or things:

a common goal/interest

English has some features common to many languages.

See also

common ground

for the common good

If something is done for the common good, it is done to help everyone:

We have to use our freedoms for the common good rather than our own selfish interests.

make common cause with someone formal

to act together with someone in order to achieve something:

Environmental protesters have made common cause with local people to stop the highway being built.

More examplesFewer examples

The two countries combined against their common enemy.
Her latest film, by common consent, is her best yet.
English is de facto the common language of much of the world today.
Excretion is one of several activities common to both plants and animals.
The two countries have united against their common foe.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Sharing

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common adjective (LOW CLASS)

disapproving

typical of a low social class:

My mom thinks dyed blonde hair is a little common.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Class & class-consciousness in general

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Idioms

the common man

the common touch

common

noun

/ˈkɑː.mən/ uk

/ˈkɒm.ən/

common noun (LAND)

[ C ]

(US also commons)

an area of grass that everyone is allowed to use, usually in or near a village

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Geography: deserts, prairies & wildernesses

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common noun (SHARED)

have something in common

to share interests, experiences, or other characteristics with someone or something:

We don't really have much in common.

in common with someone/something

in the same way as someone or something:

In common with many mothers, she feels torn between her family and her work.

(Definition of common from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

common | Intermediate English

common

adjective

/ˈkɑm·ən/

common adjective (USUAL)

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found frequently in many places or among many people:

Money worries are a common problem for people raising children.

common adjective (SHARED)

[ not gradable ]

belonging to or shared by two or more people or things:

Guilt and forgiveness are themes common to all of her works.

commonly

adverb us

/ˈkɑm·ən·li/

"The" is the most commonly used word in English.

Idioms

common denominator
common ground
common knowledge
have something in common

common

noun [ C ]

/ˈkɑm·ən/

common noun [C] (LAND)

an area of grassy land that is open for everyone to use, usually near the center of a town or city:

The Boston Common is the oldest park in the US.

(Definition of common from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of common

common

What they do all have in common is that they're all educated.

From Slate Magazine

Nowadays, chicken are common place in both restaurants and dining tables.

From Chicago Daily Herald

In an era where smartphones are nearly as common as people with hands, government is now the platform, not the product.

From WIRED

If there was common ground at the hearing, it was that nothing would happen this year due to the short session.

From Minneapolis Star Tribune

Second, the most common molecule in the universe, water, has to be present.

From Phys.Org

Women in various regions of the world, and in different stages of life have so much in common.

From Huffington Post

Still, these types of software could hit their stride in the years to come, as data scientists become more common.

From VentureBeat

But whatever their reasons, they share a common theme.

From Wired

Yet they definitely had something highly specific in common, some common trait.

From Wired

He moved freely from one stage of his life to another, with sports the common thread.

From The Denver Post

However, they have not ruled out a possible connection as both devices used cellphones as detonators, but that is common in explosive devices.

From CBS Local

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of common?

B1,B2,B1,B1,C1